1John5918
I begin this thread with an article about Pope Francis, who is well known for his support for indigenous communities in the Amazon, but of course the connection between indigenous cultures and the environment is found all over the world, including in North America, Australia and Africa. An example of the latter which has come to my attention in recent months is two separate East African cultures which consider trees to be sacred and thus strive to preserve forests.
Pope Francis: Indigenous "ancestral wisdom" a Vital Tool in Fight against Climate Change (ACI Africa)
Pope Francis: Indigenous "ancestral wisdom" a Vital Tool in Fight against Climate Change (ACI Africa)
Pope Francis on Thursday reflected on the importance of holding up Indigenous voices and incorporating “ancestral wisdom” as part of broader efforts to mitigate the effects of anthropogenic climate change. “Open dialogue between Indigenous knowledge and the sciences, between communities of ancestral wisdom and those of the sciences, can help to confront in a new, more integral and more effective way such crucial issues as water, climate change, hunger, and biodiversity,” the pope observed at the Vatican on Thursday. ‘“These issues, as we know very well, are all interconnected”...
2Cynfelyn
I wonder where Pope Francis and the other Abrahamic religious folk stand on indigenous communities talking about 'considering trees to be sacred', sacred landscapes, indigenous gods and spirits etc. Rather than having their 'ancestral wisdom' co-opted into 'broader (for which read First World) efforts to mitigate the effects of anthropogenic (for which read First World) climate change'.
Oh yes, of course, silly me. "Heathens", "pagans", "ripe for hearing the Good Word", "our duty to bring into the fold". Let them take the beams out of their own eyes before having the gall to preach to the rest of us.
Oh yes, of course, silly me. "Heathens", "pagans", "ripe for hearing the Good Word", "our duty to bring into the fold". Let them take the beams out of their own eyes before having the gall to preach to the rest of us.
3John5918
>2 Cynfelyn:
I think you'll find that Pope Francis doesn't subscribe to that particular flavour of Christianity and other Abrahamic faiths. He stressed the importance of protecting Indigenous “cultures, traditions, spiritualities, and languages” as they form part of the “fabric of humanity,” and their loss would “represent an impoverishment of knowledge, identity, and memory for all of us.” I don't think he was implying that these should be overriden by the dominant Global North; quite the opposite. Neither do I think he was "preaching", but rather making a helpful suggestion about something which is often overlooked in the Global North.
Do we still use the term "First World" (and the concomitant "Second" and "Third Worlds")? I haven't heard that one for yonks.
I think you'll find that Pope Francis doesn't subscribe to that particular flavour of Christianity and other Abrahamic faiths. He stressed the importance of protecting Indigenous “cultures, traditions, spiritualities, and languages” as they form part of the “fabric of humanity,” and their loss would “represent an impoverishment of knowledge, identity, and memory for all of us.” I don't think he was implying that these should be overriden by the dominant Global North; quite the opposite. Neither do I think he was "preaching", but rather making a helpful suggestion about something which is often overlooked in the Global North.
Do we still use the term "First World" (and the concomitant "Second" and "Third Worlds")? I haven't heard that one for yonks.
4Cynfelyn
>3 John5918: I did wonder about 'First World' myself, but neither Wikipedia nor the online version of the Merriam Webster dictionary (so presumably up to date) seem to have any qualms. I could imagine the only widespread use these days is "first world problems".
Historically, 'First World' was the post-WWII Western Block and their allies, opposed to the 'Second World', the USSR, China and their allies. The 'Third World' was originally the non-aligned movement led by India and Yugoslavia, only later becoming a stereotype for developing countries, as in "third-world countries".
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the 'Second World' has disappeared, and 'Third World' was retired in favour of 'developing countries', 'the Global South' and other arguably equally inaccurate labels.
QI snippit from Wikipedia: "In the Cold War, some European democracies (Austria, Finland, Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland) were neutral in the sense of not joining NATO, but were prosperous, never joined the Non-Aligned Movement, and seldom self-identified as part of the Third World".
Historically, 'First World' was the post-WWII Western Block and their allies, opposed to the 'Second World', the USSR, China and their allies. The 'Third World' was originally the non-aligned movement led by India and Yugoslavia, only later becoming a stereotype for developing countries, as in "third-world countries".
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the 'Second World' has disappeared, and 'Third World' was retired in favour of 'developing countries', 'the Global South' and other arguably equally inaccurate labels.
QI snippit from Wikipedia: "In the Cold War, some European democracies (Austria, Finland, Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland) were neutral in the sense of not joining NATO, but were prosperous, never joined the Non-Aligned Movement, and seldom self-identified as part of the Third World".
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